We (the wife and I) moved into our house about a year and a half ago and with the market being so horrid we decided to hold off on selling the old place.

It’s an awesome victorian in St.Paul with a double lot and enough woodwork to “solve the wood shortage in Japan” as my buddy Fran likes to say.

For various reasons we’ve decided to put the place on the market, but not before doing some touch up work like painting and having the floors finished. So, I have been soliciting vendors to refinish the hardwood floors and the most recent recommendation is The Sandman.

In the words of a famous comic “Wait, wait there’s more” as the Sandman’s talents don’t stop with unique wood. He also is a self described “old school singer/songwriter” that has several albums and songs such as “The United States of Love”, “I’m So Free I Don’t Even Need to be Me”, and “One Color Won’t Do”.

Perhaps most intriguing is under his FAQ

Q: What forms of payment do you accept?

A: Cash, check, credit card, barter.

Barter! I wonder if he’ll work for a song? (terrible pun intended)

Even though his Google Page Rank is a meager 0/10 I think I’ll give him a call and get an estimate. This could be epic.

Minnesota Public Radio announced today that Chris Roberts, who had previously been splitting his time between covering the arts for MPR News and hosting the Current’s Local Show, will be moving to MPR News full-time starting in May. In light of this change, the Current is taking the opportunity to shift things around a bit — the new Local Show will expand into a two-hour program and will be hosted by Radio Free Current’s David Campbell.

This is an exciting development for local radio fans; Campbell worked as a staffer for the KQRS and Drive 105’s “Homegrown” for 10 years, co-hosting with Mei Young and eventually becoming the main host and producer of the show for the last year of its existence. His involvement in local bands like E.L.nO., his job at local record store the Electric Fetus, and experience working with local labels also makes him a good candidate to cover the local beat for the Current.

Two hours?!

I don’t listen to a lot of local radio shows, but this is one I try to catch every week and a two hour show is great news.

Congratulations to David Campbell! I can’t wait to hear your show and thanks again for the times, at the Electric Fetus, when you’ve helped me find music.

To soon to talk about Football? The men in Purple are back at Winter Park for conditionaing and I’ve enjoyed all the recent drama over Cutler.

With Cutler now being a Bear I’m sure he’ll be a thorn in the Vikes’ side a time or two, but it’s nice to see Chi Town give away so many draft picks.

Also, I’m starting to think Sid Hartman is the toughest man in town. I don’t see another writer take so much abuse,day in and day out, in the comments section. Although, my favorite comment was a bash against Childress saying Britney Spears could do a better job coaching.

Our long-standing, knee-jerk aversion to undie rap is in peril after hearing this live bedroom performance by a young man who calls himself P.O.S. (quit hatin’ … on yourself, dude). Outfitted in a crisp flannel shirt, Stefon Leron Alexander — his given name; really, what must his mom think of him calling himself piece of shhh? — rips out a startlingly great cover of Pearl Jam’s “Why Go,”

It warns that if the state budget for courts is cut by $6 million, as Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposes, courts would very likely be unable to prosecute parking and traffic offenses, which last year generated more than $16 million in revenue for Hennepin County cities.

That’s right, no traffic tix enforcement, but it get’s worse.

“We are hoping the Legislature and governor understand that justice needs funding,” said Minnetonka City Attorney Desyl Peterson. “If people knew the police officers were issuing speeding tickets but there were no consequences, there would be rampant lawlessness.”

That’s right, rampant lawlessness! Doesn’t the thought of no more speeding tickets just make you want to hold up a liquor store while wearing a lawless carrot costume?

All kidding aside, here’s my favorite part of the article: “In Minneapolis alone, the fines brought in more than $8 million to pay police salaries during 2008” and “Startled by the potential lost revenue, some cities, including Minneapolis…”

Hmm, kind of makes you wonder about the quota system the police always deny exists in any way, shape, or form.

Doesn’t it?

What kind of rampant lawlessness will you create when speeding and parking tickets are no longer enforced?

This weekend I went to see the newest production at Jungle Theater. I rolled up with just fifteen minutes to spare and got rockstar parking, seats, and permission to take pictures.

So I did my set up work, picked my shots, and almost cried when my lone battery died. At least I got three frames: one blurry wall shot, one blurry shot of the most stripped down staging, and one shot more blurry of the same.

I then reached for my backup camera, but I just wasn’t willing to sacrifice my artistic vision with the backup. As a mountain man once told me, retreat is the hardest battle tactic so I took the high ground and watched the show unfold.

It’s a play about film and runs two timelines, one pre and one post, Alfred Hitchcock: the casting was phenominal (You won’t believe the Hitchcock ringer), the script by Terry Johnson was snappy,witty, and had the perfect balance of total suspense and corny that Hitcock himself may very well approve, but the Pièce de résistance was the amazing stage production by Director Joel Sass.

Sass used a combination of lighting, video, sound, and even a hologram at a level that is rarely seen onstage. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but let me tell you this; the technicals created amazing suspense and toyed with the brain as well as all the senses.